Spreading the joy of writing and reading

Book Review: Then Sings my soul

In Then sings my soul Robert J. Morgan reveals the stories behind 150 hymns that have echoed in the sanctuaries and hearts of believers throughout the years. The book is best viewed as a devotional or a reference book as there is no real attempt to string the stories together in a linear structure. Instead, the Morgan packs the stories of tribulation, salvation, and redemption that produced hymns like “Great is thy faithfulness” “Be thou my vision” and “It is well with my soul” into short single page narratives with the accompanying sheet music and lyrics printed alongside them.

The collection of hymns are broken up into five sections: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Patriotic and other favorites. Whilereading I found many hymns I knew and loved as well as others I was not familiar with. I was surprised, however, by what was missing from the collection as I read. The Star Spangled Banner is included among the section of patriotic hymns but it is the only anthem present in Then sings my soul.

This is what made the book not quite as well rounded as it could be. By including the United States National anthem in this collection of hymns and excluding all other anthems, the author fails to reach an international audience with Then sings my soul presents Amercan readers with a idealistic patriotic pride in the United States. What is a New Zealander to think of the fact that according to this book “The Star Spangled Banner” is a hymn worthy to be sung in church services but the New Zeland national anthem is excluded?

I use New Zealand as an example because its anthem is, like The Star Spangled Banner, lyrically reverant to God. Including the New Zealand national anthem I feel would have kept Then sings my soul from propetuating the idea that the United States is superior to other nations in the eyes of God. This is unfortunate and ignores the complex history of the United States which contains some accomplishments, heroics and travisties. America is a desireable nation to live in and I am blessed in inumerable ways by living here, and thankful to the men and women who serve in the military to protect the freedoms I enjoy, but I can’t deny that the U.S. is not without it’s own issues and that there are other nations who fear God.

I would like to see an introductory section in the book on hymnology as well to orient readers. Throughout my reading I kept wondering “What exactly is the criteria for a hymn?” I am writing this review at the age of 28 and reading many of these stories was a sort of time travel or history lesson for me because of my age.I am willing to say that I have plenty to learn from generations of believers who came before me but the collection silently implies that with the exception of the author Robert Morgan’s hymn “Jesus Christ is Born Today” written in 2005, a christian hymn worth exploring the story that birthed it hasn’t sucessfully been written since 1971. With such a picky selection of current day hymns for this collection I would have liked to see an accompanying definition for what a hymn is.

Overall I feel about this book how I feel about the subject of history. It’s incomplete but interesting and worth reading. Despite my quibbles, I recommend Then Sings My Soul. I also recommend the following:

Blog Stats

10,854 hits

Blog Author: Elliot Crane

Welcome

Welcome to Dandelion Ink. I am a 29 year old student, teacher, reader and writer living in Lynchburg, Virginia. Here you will find stories, essays, and book reviews. You can also check out some graphic design work I've done in the past here and view my photography here.

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.